The Snow Queen Case
by HimekawaRie
Summary: A Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbou fic Kindaichi found himself in yet another case with his usual people around him. A case that happened 7 years before. A case which involves his rival. A case which shows him that, yes, Akechi is human...


**The Snow Queen Case**

**Chapter 1**

"Abe no Seimei?" asked Kindaichi Hajime.

Kenmochi Isamu nodded solemnly.

"Isn't that The Onmyoji?" asked Nanase Miyuki.

"You mean the one from Japanese Folklore? The priest whose mother was a fox? " asked Saki Ryuji.

"That's the one, alright. There's a bunch of people who are obsessed in finding The Scroll of Abe no Seimei. We are ordered by headquarter to guard these people. That's why I want Kindaichi to come. Maybe he can be of help. What do you think, Kindaichi?" asked Kenmochi.

"Well, I'll go. Abe no Seimei was not only an onmyoji, he was also a detective at his time. With his friend, Minamoto no Hiromasa, they were like ancient Holmes and Watson. It will be interesting," said Kindaichi.

"Can I tag along?" asked Miyuki, "I like Seimei's character, he seems like a cool and collected guy."

"I like Minamoto no Hiromasa," said Ryuji, "He's the youngest and smartest minister at that time! I want to tag along, too!"

"Well, I've already spared you three empty seats, as I knew you two would tag along," laughed Kenmochi, "Here're the tickets. You keep it, Miyuki. These two fools might lose them!"

"Hey!" Ryuji and Kindaichi yelled indignantly, Miyuki giggled.

Kenmochi laughed, "The plane will leave at six o'clock on Sunday, so we'll stay at Inspector Akechi's house, since it's the closest to airport."

"Akechi?" asked Kindaichi, "He's going, too?"

"Actually, it was him who asked me to invite you three," Kenmochi scratched his head, "It's a little weird, and when I asked him why he wanted you in the case, Kindaichi, he said that it's better to have one and a half head than just half."

"He counted Kindaichi-senpai as half?" grunted Ryuji, but Kindaichi frowned.

"Are you sure that's what he said, Ossan? One and a half is better than just half?"

"I heard him with my own ears!" Kenmochi sighed, "No matter how mature you be, Kindaichi, you're forever a child in his eyes."

"Hmm..." Kindaichi scratched his head, "On the contrary, Ossan, I have a feeling it's the other way around..."

KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU

"This is Akechi-san's house?" asked Miyuki.

"It's way too big for an inspector's house, isn't it?" asked Kenmochi.

"I make my cash in ways according to law, you know..." scolded Akechi, "This is my family's house, not mine! My house is a small flat downtown!"

"Hey, no need to be rude," said Kindaichi, "It's ruining your calm and collected persona."

Akechi just grunted as he opened the door to the old Japanese style house.

"Tadaima!" he called to the house.

"Okaerinasai!" a small voice and a sound of running feet greeted his voice.

A girl about six years old wearing yukata skidded to a halt in front of them. She had long dark hair, and a pretty oval face. Akechi went down to his knees even as the child threw her small yet lithe body to his arms.

"Touchan's home!" she crowed in delight.

Akechi's face softened and he held the child close, "Yes, Aya-chan, touchan's home, and touchan's brought many friends for you to play with, even if only for one night."

"S'okay, touchan, I know you're busy," the girl said understandingly.

The girl bounced from Akechi's arms and bowed low to the guests. "Good evening! I'm Minamoto Ayame. Nice to meet you all!!"

"I'm Kindaichi Hajime!" Kindaichi bowed low.

"I'm Nanase Miyuki. Hello, Ayame-chan!"

"I'm Saki Ryuji. Hullo!"

"I'm Kenmochi Isamu."

Akechi smiled at the child's polite introduction. He beckoned the child over and she latched onto his bigger arms.

"Otousama's making cakes, Touchan!" she reported.

"Is he, now? Well, let's show our guests the kitchen so he can greet them, too."

"No need for that, Ken-kun," a man wearing an apron on came over from behind the curtain with a smile on his face. He had long dark hair in ponytail, muscular body, and a handsome face, though very masculine, unlike Akechi's almost feminine face.

"Otousama!" little Ayame ran over and the man hauled her up into his arms, holding her with only an arm..

"Konbanwa, minna! I'm Minamoto Yuuji. It's nice meeting you all. No need to repeat your names, I've heard our daughter's introduction. Although I wonder why Ken-kun brought you all here instead of to his small flat downtown."

"It's closer to airport, and my flat IS small." sighed Akechi.

"Now, now, Ken-kun, no need to be rude," Yuuji laughed and ruffled Akechi's hair. Akechi lowered his head slightly in defeat, and let the other messed his hair. Yuuji set Ayame down and latched his arms onto Akechi's shoulders, which Akechi leaned onto almost gratefully. "Although you should've told me you will also bring a nice lady here. You know we don't have a room furnished enough for a grown-up lady!" He scolded.

Akechi merely mumbled something unclear.

Yuuji sighed, "You go and change your clothes. I'll show the guests their rooms for tonight."

Akechi nodded and strode away. Ayame looked at his retreating back sadly.

"He's in one of those moods again, isn't he?" she asked.

"I've told you where he has to go tomorrow, haven't I?" Yuuji asked.

Ayame nodded, "Even if you didn't, I'd bound to know sooner or later."

"Then I presume that you understand?"

The little one nodded again, "I know, Otousama. Still… it doesn't mean I can't say anything about it."

Yuuji kissed her hair silently, "Leave him be for now, Aya-chan. He'll come out of his shell soon enough. As for you dear guests, I have had rooms prepared for all of you. Please, follow me."

KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Ryuji. Miyuki was shaking her head, objecting, Kenmochi was nodding vigorously, while Kindaichi looked thoughtful.

"No! No! NO! He is not a gay!" said Miyuki hotly.

"But Miyuki-senpai! The way Yuuji held Akechi! And Ayame calls both of them FATHER!"

"I've never known him having any dates with anyone," said Kenmochi thoughtfully.

"Oh! You two are hopeless! Hajime! What do you think!?" asked Miyuki.

"I don't know..."

They were in Kindaichi's room, and obviously were having a heated argument about Akechi's … ehm… preferences.

"You don't know?" cried Miyuki, "Come on, Hajime! You've got to help me here!"

A knock interrupted their talk, and a small head snuck into the room.

"Are you busy?" Ayame asked.

"No, Ayame, please, come in," said Kindaichi.

The pretty little girl ran into the room and sat on the bed beside Miyuki, "Are you all Touchan's friend?" she asked.

"Yes, Ayame, we're his friends, as far as he would let us," laughed Kenmochi, "Why do you ask?"

"Touchan never invited anyone to our house, you all are the first. But I've heard about you all!" she nodded energetically.

"You have, haven't you?" asked Ryuji, "What had he said about us?"

"Well, he said you," she pointed at Ryuji, "are a shadow camera. You," she pointed at Kenmochi, "are a pathetic excuse for a detective, you," she pointed at Miyuki, "are a lucky damsel in distress, and you," now she pointed at Hajime, "are an insolent teenager who likes to meddle with police business."

"WHAT!!!???!!" Kenmochi yelled.

Ayame giggled, "He said you all made quite an opponent team for him."

"Is that suppose to be a praise or an insult?" asked Ryuji.

Kindaichi looked flabbergasted.

"But you are all Touchan's friends, so I like you all!" the little girl announced happily.

Miyuki smiled, "And we'd like to be your friend, too, Ayame, if you'd like to be ours."

"Yeah! Of course! You have to call me Aya-chan, then! Can I call you neesan? I have no neesan before!"

Miyuki laughed, "Sure, I'll be your neesan, Hajime and Ryuji can be your niisan!"

"Yay!"

"Aya-chan, is Inspector Akechi you're father?" asked Kindaichi.

"Yes, he is."

"And Yuuji-Otousama?"

"He's my father, too."

Miyuki paled, Ryuji grinned, Kenmochi smiled, yet Kindaichi looked more thoughtful.

"Which one of them is your biological father?" asked Miyuki immediately. When Ayame looked at her and giggled, she tried to elaborate her question for the little one, "Which one of them is your real father?"

"Both, of course."

Kenmochi and Ryuji did a high five.

Miyuki didn't back off, though, "What about your mother, Ayame, where is she?"

"She's in the hospital," the little one answered.

"Is she a doctor? A nurse?"

"No. She's just in the hospital."

"Is she sick?"

Ayame's dark eyes turned sad, and she hopped off the bed, "Otousama said Kaachan has been sleeping in the hospital since before I was born, so Otousama came all the way from Kyoto to help Touchan raise me."

Kindaichi arched an eyebrow, "Your Kaachan is your Touchan's wife?"

Ayame nodded.

"So who is your Otousama?"

"He is Touchan's friend."

"Friend?"

"Umm. But he's the one who is at home all the time, so Touchan told me to call him Otousama. He said Otousama is more my father than he could ever be."

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Yuuji opened the door and stepped into the room.

"As I thought! There's my little princess!" he smiled as he saw the girl.

Ayame shook her head violently, "I'm not little!"

Yuuji laughed, "Of course not, princess!"

"Where's Touchan?" she asked.

Yuuji's eyes blinked suddenly, as if remembering something, "Actually, that's why I come to find you, Aya-chan."

Ayame's head snapped up, her eyes narrowing intently, her lips pursed.

Kindaichi, Miyuki, Ryuji, and Kenmochi looked at one another upon seeing Ayame's change of attitude. She silently walked over to Yuuji, "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Well, he's locking himself up in his room again, and I can't get him to get out," he said, "Perhaps you can talk him out? Or perhaps get him to sleep instead of pacing the floor?"

"I'll make him the sleeping draught, a hole in the floor is too much a repair for this kind of thing" she said resolutely, "Honestly, I thought we dealt out the moping stage already!"

"It's been a hard month, Aya-chan. Fate's just being cruel to him. Go easy on him. I'd like to talk him out myself, but I'd only break him."

"Yes, I understand, Otousama," The little girl nodded solemnly and skipped out of the room.

Yuuji sighed and smiled apologetically to his guests, "I'm sorry, but Ken is in his hard days, and the only one who can talk him out is little Ayame." With that, he stepped out of the room and closed the door.

The six occupants looked at each other, confused.

"Somehow I have a feeling that whatever it is that Ayame's dealing right now, it's more than just a pair of gay fathers..." Ryuji sighed.

"He's not gay!" Miyuki hit him with a pillow.

KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU

"I'm sorry, but Ken's unable to be with us this supper," Yuuji greeted his guests in the dining room.

"Is he okay?" asked Kindaichi.

"Ayame gave him too much sleeping draught, put him right to sleep," Yuuji chuckled.

"That was on purpose, Otousama," Ayame said indignantly, "Touchan's a nervous wreck!"

"Well, that's the only explanation on how you manage to make him drink that much of tea!" laughed Yuuji, "He'll want something to eat somewhere around midnight, though, so I've prepared him a snack. Don't forget to bring it up, Aya-chan."

"One o'clock," corrected Ayame, "I've set the tea so he'll wake up at one o'clock," she sighed, "the next plane is at six, right?"

Yuuji nodded.

"That'll give him three hours of real sleep, hopefully... Well, better than none," and then she bounded out of the dining room.

"Isn't she eating?" asked Miyuki.

"She has already eaten. My guess is she asked Ken to accompany her to eat her homemade snacks, which he wouldn't, so she told him to at least have a tea. He wouldn't know what hit him when he's in those moods."

"What moods?" asked Kindaichi.

Yuuji stopped eating. He scanned his guests carefully, as if weighing how much he can tell them.

"I want you all to understand something. Ken and Ayame are very precious to me. I would like to protect them from the world if I can, but I can't. Ayame is still young, I still can prepare her at my best, but Ken has grown up before his time even when he was still a child. Being a son in the Akechi family has a disadvantage. And in Ken's case, it left a scar too deep to heal. That's why I propose him to ask all of you to come. He trusts you to a length, which is good."

"I never know anything about Inspector Akechi beside the fact that he's the best police detective there is," said Kenmochi, "but his private life is a big question mark."

Yuuji smiled, "He hates publicity, and he hates pity. Those two are a dangerous combination."

KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU

The living room was brightly lit. Yuuji sat on a wooden chair beside the fireplace, while the others sat on the sofa surrounding a low table.

"It was actually not my place to tell you this, but in case Ken reverted to 'perfect cold scary android mode', you have to know what to do. So far, you know the 'calm and collected detective mode'. That's Ken at work. Usually, that mode stays the longest, but in the case you'll be working, it may not last."

"Does Akechi-san has multiple personality?" asked Ryuji, confused.

"No, not multiple personality," said Yuuji, "merely a mask for each occasion."

"Why is the next job different?" asked Miyuki.

"Well, the story went way back, and I'm not the right person to tell you this. But I can tell you this. Abe no Seimei's Scroll of Life had once created a nightmare for Ken."

"A nightmare?"

"It was years ago, when he was also asked to escort a group that was also looking for Seimei's Scroll. There were five of them at that time. Three professors, Ken, and a girl named Tenno Shirayuki. It was around her, the tragedy revolved.

"Shirayuki, who's usually called Yukihime or Yukime, was not a stranger for Ken, those two practically grew up together. Yukime was a neighbour's daughter, and the only one around Ken's age in the neighbourhood. When Ken turned 10 and Yukime 8, Yukime's family moved to USA and for a time, the communication was cut off. They met again on Sao Island, where Seimei's Scroll was said to be hidden.

"At first everything went alright, until a storm hit the island and cut off all communication for a week. It was within that week, it happened."

"What happened?" asked Kindaichi, although suddenly he felt as if he would better off not knowing what happened.

"Yukime was raped."

"What?" Miyuki's voice sounded strangled.

"There were no one else in the cottage but them and the spouse who rented it. Who the rapist was, or were, is never known."

"What about Yukime-san? What did she say about it?"

"She went into coma because of a head trauma, and had been unconscious since then."

"What about rape report?" asked Kenmochi.

"She was cleaned. Whoever did it, did it professionally," Yuuji's face became disgusted, and he gripped his chair hard.

"And Akechi-san?" asked Ryuji.

"He was the one who found her."

A silence fell in the room.

"A month later, it was found out that Yukime was carrying a baby. In normal situation, the baby wouldn't survive a comatose mother, but this one grew almost normally. Seven months later, Yukime's baby was born through Caesar operation. The first thing the doctors did was performing DNA test to the baby. That way, they'll know who the father is."

"Who?" asked Miyuki, her voice trembled.

"Ken," Yuuji answered.

A silence, and a chorus of "WHAT?!?!?" answered the revelation.

"Ken admitted later on that he and Yukime had a one night stand before the rape, but the professors accused him of doing the rape. This is where The Akechi Family made a big mistake."

"What did they do?" asked Kindaichi.

"They bribed the professors to shut up," Yuuji's voice carried a suppressed anger.

"What? But that would be like admitting that Akechi did it!" exclaimed Kenmochi.

Yuuji gave a soft bark of laugh, "Family's reputation was something Akechi Ryuzo holds very high. He also arranged that Yukime's baby be sent into orphanage. Ken, of course, refused. He took the baby and brought her to me at Kyoto. I arranged patronage for the girl before Akechi Family could do anything. That way, we managed to keep the baby."

"The baby is Ayame?" asked Kindaichi.

Yuuji nodded.

"Who is Akechi Ryuzo?"

"Ken's uncle, his late father's oldest brother. A man in delusion of how high The Akechi Name is in the eyes of the world."

"What about Yukime-san's family? Didn't they say anything at all?" asked Ryuji.

"Yukime has no family left, her parents died in a car accident in USA years before."

"I never heard anything about it before," mumbled Kenmochi.

"The Akechi has power over everything, Kenmochi-san."

"What about Akechi-san?" asked Miyuki.

"Let's just say, the first year after the rape and Ayame's first three months was hell for him, but we managed it together. Actually, he was the reason I decided to raise Ayame here, instead of at Kyoto. Ken needs a reason to go on, and Ayame, for lack of better term, has him wrapped around her little fingers since the first time he set his eyes on her," Yuuji smiled fondly.

"The later years were progress, but needless to say, Ken was unstable. As his friend and psychiatrist, I actually prefer him not to work at all, but with his brilliant mind, he needed something to work on, so I simply told him not to work on rape cases. Then he met you, Kindaichi-kun."

"Me? What did I do?" asked Kindaichi.

"You reminded him of life, he said." Yuuji smiled bitterly, "It was not luck that you met him in the midst of snowstorm that null his perception, I think. You saw how he made mistake in finding Kano Rie's killer. Yet he never made the same mistake again in all your encounter with him, right?"

"I thought that was because he learnt something," commented Kenmochi.

"No. He simply found his real self, slowly, but surely. You played a part in it, Kindaichi, you showed him how to preserve life when he's bent to find death."

KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU

Miyuki looked up to where Kindaichi was sitting on the windowsill, sighing silently to himself.

"I never thought about it, really…" her childhood friend mumbled.

"About what?" asked Kenmochi.

"Preserving life."

"Aa…"

"Akechi-san does not strike me as one who's bent to find death …" Ryuji sighed.

Miyuki looked beyond the window to the midnight sky, "Such a terrible past… and no one knows… No wonder he's so perfect and all…"

"What?" asked Kindaichi, startled.

"Akechi-san. He's too perfect."

"Aa. His mask is too perfect. Who would've thought that he's been bottling himself up like that?"

"It's a good thing Minamoto-san's around. Otherwise…"

"And Aya-chan …" Ryuji wrinkled his nose, "it's like she's the one who has a split personality, really, one moment so young and carefree, and another moment so mature…"

A thunk stopped their conversation. And another. And another.

Kenmochi's eyebrows rose, and he looked at his three companions, all of them making a move together, walking out of Miyuki's room, and moved to where the sound came from.

And stopped short, staring at the dimly lit room.

A grand piano was in the middle of the room, with a small body sitting on it, throwing things.

"Aya-chan?" Miyuki asked hesitantly.

The thunking sound stopped, and Ayame's voice rose, sounding far too mature for her age, "The switch is at your right, Kin-niisan."

Blindly, and confusedly, Kindaichi reached to his right, found the switch and flipped it on.

Light fell from the chandelier above them, lighting the room, the piano, and the little girl sitting on top of it.

The foursome blinked.

Ayame was wearing a simple white nightgown; her long hair fell freely on her shoulders, cascading down her back; her barefooted feet swinging lightly. For a second, Kindaichi could have sworn he saw her glowed, an ethereal presence in the room.

She simply smiled at them from her piano perch, silently beckoning them in. In front of her, a human-formed shooting target was set, with dart pins stuck in it. All in lethal area, Kenmochi noted.

Ayame smiled slightly at their confusion, "Touchan would be up in about two hours or so, and I was thinking of spending my time playing piano, but then I saw the target, and darts sounded like a good idea."

Miyuki couldn't say anything.

A six years old girl with deadly precision with darts in the darkness and knowledge in sleeping draught.

Definitely Akechi's daughter, Kindaichi noted silently.

"You have good hands in darts," Kenmochi commented, his eyebrows rising slightly.

"Aa," Ayame laughed demurely, a sound too weird to be heard from lips so young, "I try. Too bad it's not a moving target. I hit right, don't I? Unlike some, I don't like to make people suffer needlessly, so a quick death is what I prefer. Although I do know how to aim to make an endless suffering, obviously…."

Words too scary to come out of anyone's mouth…

"I thought you've all slept already?"

A statement, or an order, definitely not a question.

"We're… er… discussing something…"

"Aa…"

Ayame looked at them silently, and Kindaichi shuddered. It was as if they were mind scanned, as if she's trying to decide whether they're good or bad.

And then she chuckled, "I'm sorry if I scare you all, I don't usually do this in front of strangers, but touchan obviously trust you enough to actually let you come and see me, so I guess you can take the shock."

"Trust, Aya-chan?" Miyuki asked, confused.

"Touchan never let anyone from his office, or any of his… friends… come over to this house. To his small flat downtown, maybe, but not here…"

"Well, he said this place is closer to airport…" Ryuji stated.

"A blatant lie, " she shrugged, "although you're right. That's why it's safe for me. It's close to the airport."

"Eh?"

"Um… an escape gateway, really… So I can be whisked away fast when something goes wrong."

"Ehh…"

Ayame shrugged, "Too weird for a conversation with a six-years-old?"

Kindaichi nodded, "Obviously."

The little girl laughed, "I thought so."

Miyuki looked really pale.

"I'm sorry, but I'm sure Otousama had told you, right?" Ayame asked, "So I think it's safe to think that you know I'm special."

"Eh?"

"Aya-chan."

The four whirled around to find Yuuji behind them.

"Yes, Otousama. I'm going."

Ayame took a dart, the last one, it seemed, from the dart tray beside her, and threw it carelessly.

It hit the target dead center, piercing the target in where a navel should be.

"That's not a direct kill point," Kenmochi noted.

"Yes. But if you want someone die slowly and painfully, you shoot him on the stomach. Or groin."

The girl jumped down and skittered away from the room, throwing a careless "Night, everyone!" to them and disappeared beyond a corner.

Yuuji sighed. His eyes trained on the target, he entered the room, passing the foursome, and started pulling out the well-stuck darts.

"Um… Minamoto-san…" Miyuki started, and shut up.

"Actually, I have no idea when, or how, it started," Yuuji mused, "I guess it's my fault, since Ken is not around so much to actually lead her into growing up like that, but then again, if she's not Ken and Yukime's daughter, she might not come up like that."

"Eh?"

"She's special. A survivor. And not only because of her birth situation," Yuuji put the darts into a drawer and plopped down on one of the sofa, gesturing the foursome to take seat, which they did.

"She was born two months premature, so small and fragile," Yuuji started to tick down his daughter's special characteristics, "she didn't even cry when she was born, Yuiko said. Yuiko, my sister, was the doctor who helped her delivery. She said when Ayame was born, her eyes were opened; she gave the room a once over glance, and then she cried. But not before. Yuiko was afraid that Yukime gave birth to a dead child.

"Even at a day old, she immediately gave this remarkable show of empathy and photographic memory, started by snuggling when Ken picked her up and wailing when any other Akechi got anywhere near her. She smiled when she was two days old.

"When she was a year and a half, she was already up about running everywhere and climbing chairs and tables, not to mention cupboards and all the trees in the yard whenever we let her run about there, and I think you've seen that there're many of them out there. She chattered about anything and everything with this incredible vocabulary and grammar, which even five years old shouldn't have had yet.

"At two and a half she effectively stopped Ken from doing the stupidest thing in his life ever by running over to him, hugged him hard, and dragged him to play in the dirt. At four she surprised me when I found her reading French medical book, a few months later she started writing Arabic.

"At five she had done everything from tree climbing to bungee jumping, at six she asked for a katana for a birthday present, which was four months ago, a month ago she re-solved a gruesome murder file Ken brought home without even blinking, a week ago she decided that her touchan was childishly moping and dragged him out to hit the beach under threat of messy dismemberment, and just now she gave my guests a perfect display of efficient kill, not that I don't know that she can. Honestly, that girl…"

No one knew what to say.

"She knows more anti-depressant than me, she cooks better than me, she carries a fan-blade everywhere, and she even intimidates Akechi Ryuzo more than I can! Honestly! Ryuzo would rather spend a month locked together with Ken rather than a minute with her! She actually has a death glare! And she even smiles! SMILES!"

"Ano… Minamoto-san…"

Yuuji slumped on his chair, taking a deep breath after his long tirade, "Ryuzo's wrong. Ayame is not a devil's spawn. She's devil incarnate," he sighed.

Silence.

"Umm… Minamoto-san…" Kindaichi looked uncomfortable, "Does Ayame know about her mother? I mean, everything about…"

"Yes," Yuuji sighed, "We visit Yukime weekly, sometimes daily. We never try to hide it from her, anyway, not when Ryuzo can come to our house at any time yelling at Ken about it with Ayame listening behind the door."

"What?"

"Akechi Ryuzo almost always came to our house at least once a month, throwing fit, with Ayame actually standing behind the door, until about a year ago," Yuuji chuckled, "That's when I knew that girl is capable of knifing a full grown man without loosing a beat."

"What?"

"She's obviously displeased that Ryuzo-sama yelled at her touchan, who was at that time had a terrible case of cold and was stuck in bed with a fever, that she threw the door open, hugged her touchan protectively, and told Ryuzo-sama to fuck off in the sweetest way possible. And when Ryuzo refused to leave and invaded Ken's personal space yet again, she grabbed a conveniently near letter-opener and stabbed Ryuzo's hand through, smiling all the way."

"WHAT?!"

"I don't have a photographic memory, but I'll remember her words that day forever."

"What?"

"Ryuzo accused her of being devil's spawn, and she laughed sweetly, saying, "Oh, I am, Ryuzo-sama. And what is Lucifer if not a fallen angel?" She's the only one who can make the suffix 'sama' sounded like a total insult. She scared the hell out of him. She scared the hell out of me, too. And Ken. I know Ken wasn't like that when he's that young. Or Yukime. Hell, I know I wasn't like that!"

Silence.

"She's a good daughter. I guess that makes me not a good father," Yuuji sighed.

KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU 

Akechi was already out in the garage when Kindaichi and the others went down with their suitcases. No one asked his absence at breakfast, and he didn't say anything. Yuuji helped them lugging in the suitcases, and offered to drive them to the airport, which Akechi refused.

"Just send Kakimachi to the airport, Yuuji, I can drive, or rather, Kenmochi-kun can drive, if you won't let me."

Yuuji shook his head, "You know damn well that's not the point."

"I'm not taking Aya-chan to the airport, and we're not leaving her alone here."

"Ken-kun…"

"No, Yuuji, and that's final."

"Final what?"

All of them turned around to see Ayame standing on the stairs, wearing pink shirt under gray carpenter pants, her hair tied in a ponytail by a single pink ribbon. She silently made her way down and stood near her fathers.

Akechi knelt down, and Ayame threw her hands around his neck, "Be careful, Touchan. I'll miss you so much."

"Don't be silly, Aya-chan, it's only for two weeks. Besides, I will still call…"

"You know damn well that's not what I mean," she let him go and looked at his eyes sadly, "Sometimes you're too reckless for your own good."

Akechi shook his head and smiled, albeit bitterly, "I'll be okay. You can trust me."

"I trust you. It's the others that I don't trust."

Yuuji sighed, his eyes caught the foursome who were trying to make themselves invisible.

"I'll be okay, Aya-chan. I promise."

Ayame looked hesitant, then she pulled out a small bag tied on a string and placed it around Akechi's neck, "I know you don't believe this kind of things, but it's a protection charm. It'll protect you, as I will, as Otousama will, as Kaachan will…"

Akechi looked sad.

A single tear slid down her cheek as she hugged him hard, "Be careful, take care of yourself, don't forget to come back home to me."

Then she let go, and ran back into the house.

Seeing Akechi straightened and walked into the front passenger seat without a word, Kindaichi found himself vowing of making sure that Akechi will return to his child.

KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU

"This is a big mansion…" Miyuki commented.

"It sure is…" Kenmochi nodded.

Akechi simply took his suitcase and walked up to the front door of Star Dome Mansion, Kindaichi following him.

"Akechi-san?"

A voice made them all looked at an old woman wearing a gray kimono.

"Ah, Ohkami-san. Hisashiburi, ne?" Akechi bowed politely.

"Aa… they didn't tell me you will come, Akechi-san… If they did, I would've…"

"Would've what?"

"Oh, surely you won't get rid of those for him, old woman? They'll bring back fun memories for him, I'm sure."

Kindaichi whirled around to see a short fat man carrying a square case in his hands.

"Kunitachi-san…"

"You spoil the boy, old woman! No, no, they stay… besides… they make the mansion more beautiful…"

Miyuki could've sworn the man leered.

"Eh, what is this? A girl? You'd better stay together in a group, young lady… bad things happens to beautiful women here, they say… Well, even when you're in a group, you might still be in danger…"

"You're talking nonsense, Kunitachi-san, stop scaring the girl!" Ohkami Mayuko snapped.

"Besides, Kunitachi-san… this girl is as safe as she can be, after all, her fiancé is here with her…" Akechi said neutrally.

"Fiancé?"

Kindaichi moved and grabbed Miyuki's hand. She blushed.

"Oh… well, I guess… but you still have to be careful, young lady… Even the most decent man can be a devil in this house. Well, I'm off to fish, I'll be back at dinner."

And off the annoying man went.

Akechi looked pretty calm, but there's something in his eyes that betrayed his serenity. Kenmochi moved near, offering his silent support.

Akechi noticed this, smiled slightly, and nodded his thanks.

"Well, Ohkami-san, I know we have a large number in our party, but is it possible if we have a room together?" asked Akechi, "Somehow I don't think leaving Miyuki-chan alone is favorable."

"Yes, of course, we have such room, yes… Please, come in…"

The old woman opened the door, and walked in, the others behind her, Akechi the last. He turned around to close the door, as Ryuji sighed appreciatively, "WOW!"

Akechi turned around, paled, and dropped his suitcase; his back hit the door in an attempt of steadying himself.

Right in front of them, in the huge hall, a massive painting hung on a wall. A beautiful woman and a white fox stood in the middle of a snowstorm, the fox was almost silver, and the woman was wearing white kimono, her long dark hair freely blown by the wind, but what captured Miyuki the most was her eyes, so dark yet so bright, and her soft sad smile…it's as if she's gazing at something unreachable…

The woman looked like an older version of Ayame.

Kenmochi was already moving, his hands steadying Akechi, while Kindaichi moved on his other side.

"Yu… ki?" Akechi whispered, shocked.

"My late husband made this; he also made all of the paintings around the house. The Snowstorm Series, he called them. They're all over the house, there's one in every room, too, and at least one on every wall… But this is the biggest one. He called them his atonement… In his will, he stated that they are not to be sold or moved… the paintings and this house…"

Akechi paled even more, his hand unconsciously gripped the charm Ayame gave him. Kenmochi saw this, looked at Kindaichi who looked back at him, and nodded.

"Ohkami-san, we've had a long journey, and we're very tired… Do you think we can have our room now? We really need to rest," Kenmochi said officially, almost commandingly.

Mayuko nodded, her eyes sad, "Of course, I'll take you to the room. But… are you sure that you want all of you together in the same room? I mean, Akechi-san, the only room which have more than two bed sets…"

Akechi forced himself out of his stupor, although he paled even more and his other hand had unconsciously gripped Kindaichi's arm in an attempt of balancing himself, "Please, Ohkami-san, I… I can't let these people stay in individual room."

"I… understand… If you'll follow me, please."

Akechi took a deep breath, let Kindaichi's arm go, and picked up his suitcase. But his other hand still gripped the charm.

Miyuki looked ready to cry. Ryuji looked irritated. Kenmochi looked enraged. Yet Kindaichi felt cold.

KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU

The room was a big one, with six beds, bedside tables, wardrobes, and two indoor bathrooms. A Snowstorm Series was hung on the wall on the door. This time, the woman was sitting on a rock, still in the snow, under blooming pink sakura tree, smiling at the fox curling on her lap.

The whole house was decorated with Snowstorm Series; from one wall to another, it's impossible to look at somewhere and not looking at the beautiful woman who is Tenno Shirayuki and the silver fox. While the paintings were all beautiful, they brought a sense of surrealism and mystery to the house. It's as if the paintings are there to watch over their every movement…

Akechi had lain down on the bed under a window, but not before telling them not to take the farthest bed near the balcony, so Kenmochi simply took the bed beside it, telling Miyuki to take the middle bed, Kindachi and Ryuji took the beds beside hers.

"I'm sorry, Miyuki, but… I'm not comfortable with the idea of you having your own room alone…" Akechi had said, and Miyuki simply smiled and said that it's okay.

Then Akechi had lain down and closed his eyes, trying to placate the emotion raging in him, while his companions moved unobtrusively around the room, placing clothes in the wardrobes and checking the room.

Akechi's sigh made everyone looked at him.

"I shouldn't have asked you to come…"

Kindaichi shook his head, "One and a half head is better than half, you said it yourself. Besides, who'll take care of you if we're not around?"

Akechi snorted, "And who said I need baby-sitters?"

His voice sounded empty.

Kindachi simply shrugged.

Akechi sat down carefully, his eyes roamed around the room to rest at the painting.

"Ohkami-san is a great artist…" he mused.

"Yes, I think he is…" Miyuki nodded, contemplating her next words, "Akechi-san… she's beautiful…"

Akechi smiled, a fond look in his face, "Yes, she is… A goddess, I dare say… Ayame looked so much like her…"

Kenmochi nodded, "Ayame will be even more beautiful when she grows up."

"Aa… you're right…"

"She loves you very much, Akechi-san …" Kindaichi said softly.

Miyuki wasn't sure if he meant Ayame or Shirayuki.

"Aa… I know…"

Akechi flopped back down on the bed and threw an arm over his face, and Kindaichi solemnly swear that not only he will make sure that Akechi will go home to his daughter, he will also crack the case that happened seven years ago.

For Akechi. His eternal rival and mentor.

For Ayame. A girl who had seen too much for one so young.

And for Shirayuki. A woman who was ripped of her life, a mother who had never seen her daughter, and a lover who's torn away from her beloved.

KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU

Akechi slept through the afternoon. He had confused Kindaichi when he asked them to gather around and gave each of them the house's layout and the surrounding area, a small flashlight, and a stun gun, all packed in a small waist-bag.

"This is the map of the area that I made before. It may not be accurate anymore, but we'll fix any mistakes in it tomorrow. Always bring this with you. Call me paranoid if you want, but I'll never forgive myself if anything happen to any of you children, and Kenmochi has a wife to come home to."

And what about you, Kindaichi had asked in his heart. Don't you have a place to go home, too? What about Ayame?

But he dared not say it. Instead, he suggested that not one of them leaves anywhere alone, especially Miyuki. Miyuki, understanding his plan, immediately latched onto Akechi's arm, gleefully claiming him as her bodyguard. Kindaichi grumbled, saying that as her Fiancé, he has to be with her. Ryuji protested heatedly, saying that as the assistant, he has to be where Kindaichi is. Kenmochi sighed, saying that it seems they have to move around together all the time.

"Might as well to use only the bathrooms in this room, too. We must always go back to this room every three hours or so, if possible, the door isn't made to be locked from outside, and anyone can enter here when we're not in, and Miyuki, make sure that you always use jacket and jeans or trousers, no skirt. Put all of our belonging in the cupboards, and we'll carry the keys," Kenmochi said.

Akechi had nodded amusedly at his self-appointed baby-sitters, his hand absently tugging at the charm on his chest. And then he pulled out a small white box, beckoned all of them to lean down, and gave another surprise.

Several bottles of medicine and a syringe were placed tidily in it. Akechi got them all out and showed them, explaining which is what and how to use them. Anti depressant, sleeping pills, blood pressure stabilizer. He also explained that in case of emergency, he always has one of each in his breast pocket.

They didn't comment on it, nor did they ask him why he told them, they simply nodded, and watched attentively as Akechi slipped the small box into the drawer next to his bed.

And then Akechi had gone to sleep, not even bothering to change his clothes, while the others were studying their maps.

Miyuki was looking at the Snowstorm Series in the right bathroom (they called the twin bathrooms as right bathroom, the one Miyuki used, and left bathroom, the one the other boys and men used. Not creative, but they didn't give a damn) when Kindaichi knocked the door, "Hey, you okay in there?"

"It's not locked, Hajime, come in."

Kindaichi opened the door carefully, and after making sure that she's decent, he entered the bathroom leaving the door opened, and whistled appreciatively, "Nice bathroom. Big bathtub, too."

"Mmm…" Miyuki sighed, "I think Mrs. Ohkami's late husband is obsessed with Shirayuki-hime-sama. He even put a painting in the bathroom."

"I don't think so. He didn't paint the whole collection like a stalker. He painted them with beauty and grace, almost like… reverence…"

"Atonement, Mrs. Ohkami had said… What do you think it means?"

"I have no idea…"

"And that guy, Kunitachi? What's wrong with him anyway? He scares me…"

"I hate to say this… but the way he spoke… it's as if…" Kindaichi stopped.

"As if?"

"As if he was there, seven years ago…"

Miyuki paled, "EH?! But that will mean…"

"Yes. He's one of our five suspects… Mr. Ohkami had died, and Mrs. Ohkami is a woman… but it doesn't mean…"

Miyuki smiled slightly, "You're going to crack this case, aren't you?"

"It's the least I can do… For Akechi… For Ayame… and…"

Both of them looked at the painting of the woman playing tag with her fox around the same pink sakura tree.

"For Shirayuki-hime-sama …" Miyuki softly vowed.

Kindaichi nodded, "For Shirayuki-hime-sama …"

Miyuki looked at Kindaichi and smiled, "Hajime… When Akechi-san said that I have a fiancé…"

"Oh, that…"Kindaichi blushed, "I know that he feels you'll be safer if you're… well… engaged… so…"

Miyuki leaned over and gave him a brief hug, "Arigato, Hajime…"

KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU

Dinner was a quiet affair. No one talked with anyone, and except the group who sat in the same table, no one sat with anyone.

Kindaichi noted that besides Kunitachi Hideo, there're two other men, one was a tall skinny man named Sasagawa Touma, and a big tall dark skinned man named Kuromori Motoki. None of them interacted with anyone. They simply took their plate and filled it, and sat in their own remote corners.

It was so cold…

Dinner ended too soon for Kindaichi to actually notice anything about the three men, and they soon found themselves in their room, getting ready to bed.

Kindaichi stepped out from the left bathroom (that one also has Snowstorm Series in it, the woman sitting on the Sakura tree, the fox standing with its front paws on the tree) when he saw Akechi stood outside the room, on the balcony, Kenmochi beside him. Miyuki and Ryuji were staring at him, silently asking whether they should join the two older detectives or not. Kindaichi nodded, and they walked out together.

"Wow… So many stars…" Miyuki was definitely awed.

"Yes. They're the reason this place's called Star Dome," Akechi nodded, "you see that round shape over there on the roof?" he indicated a large dark shadow above them, "that's a small planetarium. You can see stars and the like there. Maybe tomorrow you can ask Mrs. Ohkami."

"Really… This place is so large!" Ryuji whistled, and pulled out his map from his side-bag. Akechi noted with gratitude that the three carried the bags he had provided them, even when they're wearing pajamas.

"Akechi-san, what are those small shacks?" asked Kenmochi.

Akechi's eyes narrows, "Storerooms, mainly. That one's for firewood. That one's for gardening tools. That one's for haystack. That one's where Mr. Ohkami kept his animal food; he had plenty of animals before, mainly birds, cats, and dogs. This is the only place where I can see cats playing with birds and dogs…"

Kindaichi idly noted that they saw no animals at all that day.

"That one is for bicycles. We can borrow some tomorrow if you want to explore the area."

"What about that one?" asked Kindaichi, pointing at a small shack under a tree.

"It's a storeroom for dried leaves. Mr. Ohkami liked to make herbarium collection. That's where he dried his collection. I'm not sure if that room's still used, though."

"And that one over there? The one near the rock wall?"

Akechi looked so sad, Kindaichi felt that he shouldn't have asked. And he knew that he feared the answer.

"That's the entrance to Seimei Shrine. We'll go there tomorrow if you want to. That's the reason those professors are here. They say that The Scroll of Seimei is hidden there somewhere. We've checked, of course, there's no trapdoor or any hidden storage, but there's a writing on its wall that stated that the scroll was there."

"What exactly is Seimei's Scroll?" asked Ryuji interestedly.

"A collection of Fuda spells, at least that's what I can understand. All of this Onmyojitsu mumble-jumble is not something I understand. The only Fuda I know is the protection-cum-repellant inscription and the two spells I know are _Ari nari tonari anaro nabi kunabi_ and _Om aribori sowaka Noubou Akyasha Om Arikya_, and the blood spell."

"What?" Miyuki looked awed.

"Kekkai Fuda," Akechi raised his hand and wrote the kanji for protect and repel in the air. "The first spell is protection spell, the second one is offensive, when fused with the fuda and the blood spell, she said we will be protected when we attack, and all spells coming toward us will not be only be repelled, but also bounced back. It's a high technique."

"Blood spell?" asked Kenmochi

"Yes. You trace a pentagram on your palm with your blood," Akechi raised his left hand and traced his right palm.

"Mumble-jumble alright."

"There are some who believe in onmyojitsu, Kenmochi. And there are some who actually perform them. Yuki was one of them."

Kindaichi looked at Akechi, who was gazing at the shrine sadly.

"She came here trying to find the Scroll in that shrine. She lost everything there, too."

Miyuki looked at Akechi, then at the shrine, and paled.

The significance was not lost to any of them.

"I know Yuuji told you. I know how far Yuuji told you. And I know that you have a thousand questions in your mind that you'd like to ask, so I think it's better if I just tell you exactly what happened seven years ago, right?"

There's something in the way Akechi smiled at them that made their heart bleed, but they followed him inside the room anyway, Kenmochi locking the glass door behind them.

Akechi sat on his bed, took his bag and pulled out a notebook. He opened it and pulled out a photograph, giving it to Miyuki.

A beautiful woman in jeans and blue shirt gazed at her, laughing merrily at the camera. A living human version of the enchanting paintings all over the house.

Wordlessly, she gave the photo to Kindaichi.

"Yuki was a childhood friend whom I hadn't met for long time. When I saw her here again, I almost didn't recognize her. It's not like she'd changed a lot, she'd always been beautiful when she was young, but seeing her all grown up and there… I guess she must've felt the same way about me, maybe even more confused… I wasn't the little boy that she knew anymore… It was magnetic, really… I guess you can call it love at first sight; after all, she was the first girl who ever stole my sight. The only one, really…"

Looking at the photo, Kenmochi couldn't blame Akechi for being totally smitten by her. After all, she's physically a goddess, and her eyes… there's something … magnetic… in them.

"She loved to ride the horses that Ohkami-san kept here, or go bicycling, or simply walk around… She loved exploring Seimei's cave… and teaching me fuda spells. She's a shrine maiden of some sort, and had enough basic onmyojitsu knowledge, she claimed, although I'm not sure about her definition of basic. One snowing night, she wasn't here when I turned in, and I went to search for her… All the way to the shrine…" Akechi trailed off, his head in his hands, "In the end… no onmyojitsu saved her…"

Kindaichi looked at Akechi sadly, but something in the story bothered him, "Akechi-san… here?"

"Aa… this was the room where Yuki stayed… her bed was this one…" Akechi patted his bed, smiling slightly.

Miyuki clamped her mouth, tears in her eyes.

Kindaichi looked thoughtful, "Akechi-san… If you don't mind me asking… The three men at dinner…"

Akechi's mood darkened instantly, "Yes. You thought right. They were the same people with those three seven years ago."

Kindaichi nodded, his eyes caught Miyuki's determined ones.

"That's why I asked you to come, Kenmochi-kun, Kindaichi… I don't trust myself not to kill them…" Akechi looked at the people around him, reached into the drawer, and pulled out his gun, giving it to Kenmochi, "That's why I want you to keep this."

Kenmochi nodded and took the gun, "I understand, and I will keep this for you. But honestly, I have full faith in you, Inspector. You won't loose it."

"We'll help, Akechi-san. This house, this room, the paintings… It must've been hard for you…"

Akechi smiled warmly as Miyuki wiped her tears, "It's weird. When I was here seven years ago, I had a shadow named Yuki. I can never went anywhere without her tailing me, or her dragging me about… Now, everywhere I look, I see her… It's worse, really… At least Yuki didn't try to follow me to the bathroom…"

The other laughed at that, although an alarm bell sounded in Kindaichi's head. Those perverts, with Shirayuki-sama's painting in their bathroom… He shook his head to clear the thought.

"Akechi-san, seven years ago, which one is your room?" asked Ryuji, already looking at his map.

"Which one do you think?" asked Akechi, his tone straight, but his eyes glowed with mischief.

Ryuji looked at Miyuki, who looked at Kindaichi, who looked thoughtful. And then his eyes caught the bed near the balcony, and he looked back at his two friends, then at Akechi, and choked.

"Waaa…" Miyuki blushed, as Akechi hid his laughter in his pillow.

"Sorry… but I'm not as decent a man as you thought I am… And yes… Aya-chan was conceived here…" Akechi chortled.

"Is that why we're not to use that bed?" asked Kenmochi incredulously.

"No, that bed is a hell to sleep on, Kenmochi-kun, trust me, but I thought it was only decent at that time, to have four beds between us…"

"Didn't work very well in the end, eh?"

Akechi's eyes shone rather sad, immediately making Kenmochi regret his words… but then the inspector smiled, and patted his bed again.

"Many nights when I couldn't sleep and thought back and regret the things happened here, but at times like that, Aya-chan would crawled into my bed, or cried as hard as she could when she was still a baby, or suddenly called me if I'm not home, which's often. It seems that she always know… And I can never regret that night…"

"Eh? Many nights?" asked Ryuji.

"Mmm… I have insomnia since I was in high school, that's why I have the sleeping pills… but those nights… having Yuki here in the same room… Yuki said I slept like a baby; many times she woke me instead of the other way around… And Aya-chan somehow inherited that. It's weird, really, a six years old who always knows when to reach out for me… I've grown dependant on her, I think…"

Miyuki smiled, "She's a good child."

"And I'm not a good father."

Kindaichi sighed, "Somehow, I don't think anyone can be a good father for a daughter like that… she's far to independent."

"Maybe because she's seen how self-destructive her father is."

"Aya-chan adores you, Akechi-san… And she's afraid of loosing you… But then again, who can blame her? You're everything she has. Sure, there's Minamoto-san, but… He doesn't replaces you…"

Akechi was about to say something when his cell phone rang. He sighed and picked it up, "Hello. Mm… Yes, Aya-chan, yes… I'm sleeping now… mmm… I've eaten… yes... I know… I know… What? Lights on? You're kidding me. OK. OK, whatever you say… Yes, I'm wearing the charm. Huh? What, where? You have got to be kidding me. Oh… oh. OK, then, I won't argue with you. Yes… yes… I promise… mm? Kindaichi-niisan? Here, Kindani, Aya-chan wants to speak to you."

Kindaichi frowned and took the phone, "Hello, Aya-chan?"

"Kin-niisan? Did he eat?"

Kindaichi had to laugh, "Yes, he did. Not much, but he ate."

"Can you do me a favor?" Ayame's childish voice sounded wary.

"Sure, whatever you want."

"There's a pack of fuda in Touchan's case, can you stick them on the doors and windows, and under the beds? And keep one in your pockets every time, too? Give one to everyone?"

"Eh? Okay, sure, why not, we can always use extra protection."

"And don't turn off all the lights? Keep one on, at least?"

"Sure, Ayame-chan, anything for you."

"And keep touchan safe, Kin-niisan? I have a bad feeling…"

"Don't worry, Ayame…"

"It can't be helped, if it's any other place, I wouldn't be so worried…"

"It'll be okay, Ayame-chan… I promise! Cross my heart and hope to die!"

Ayame sighed, "Don't make promises you don't know how to keep, Kin-niisan, but thank you anyway. Can I talk to touchan again?"

Kindachi gave the phone back to Akechi, frowning.

"Yes, Aya-chan? OK … Night, Aya-chan. And I love you."

Kindaichi held out his hand when Akechi put away the phone.

"What?"

"The fuda? Your daughter specifically asked me to put them where they have to be put, and I'm not going to argue with a girl who can make my death a misery."

Akechi laughed, but took his suitcase anyway, and rummaged for a while, and came up with a tied string-bag, "I have no idea how she slipped it in without my notice."

Kindaichi opened it, and gave one to each of them, repeating Ayame's instruction to always carry it everywhere, and went around the room to stick on the fuda at every doors and windows, even the bathrooms door and windows, and crawled under the beds to stick the fuda under them, even the unused one.

When he was done, there was no other fuda left in the bag.

He returned the bag to Akechi, who took it and smiled, caressing the bag, "That girl can be super protective when she puts her mind to it."

"Oh, I can tell. She told me to leave at least one lamp on."

Kenmochi laughed, "I'm not going to argue. We'll leave the lamp near the bathrooms on."

"Eh? How does she know we're staying in the same room?" asked Miyuki, "Did you tell her?"

"No. You heard what I said," Akechi shook his head.

"Then…"

"I told you. She's watching over me."

Ryuji looked skeptic, "How did she know how many fudas to put in that bag?'

"Precognition? How am I supposed to know? She'd done too many unusual things before, I've stopped asking how did she do it a long time ago."

Kindaichi shook his head, "All I know is that she asked you to sleep, and sleep you will!"

Akechi chortled, "Really, Kindani, you're afraid of my daughter?"

"It's because she's your daughter that I'm afraid of her. Now, sleep!"

Akechi shook his head and burrowed under his blankets, even as the Miyuki and Ryuji climbed onto their beds, Kenmochi rechecked the locks and Kindaichi turned off the lamps but one, before burrowing himself on his bed between Akechi's and Miyuki's.

Silence dawned, broken only by Kenmochi's snore.

Kindaichi, though, was awake for a long time.

KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU

It was the cold that woke Miyuki that night. She blinked, trying to remember where she was, when she saw Ryuji beside her and realized that it wasn't her own room.

Why is it so cold, she thought, did anyone leave the window open?

She turned around to light the lamp beside her bed, when she suddenly stopped.

Between Kindaichi's bed and Akechi's, a silver fox stood, looking at his mistress. And the said mistress, sitting by Akechi's bed, caressing his hair lovingly, and leaning down, her face inching closer to Akechi's…

Miyuki screamed.

KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU KINDAICHI SHOUNEN NO JIKENBOU

"Miyuki! Miyuki! Wake up!"

Miyuki blinked, her eyes opened and gazed wildly around. The sun was shining, and Kindaichi was sitting by her bed, grasping her shoulders.

Miyuki blinked again.

"Are you okay?"

Miyuki sat up and nodded, "Yes… just a… nightmare…"

"Here," a hand offered a glass of water, and Miyuki heartily received it, gulping the water, and looked up to where Akechi stood behind Kindaichi.

"It must've been one hell of a nightmare," Akechi remarked, his eyes gentle.

Miyuki shut her mouth, remembering her dream, "Actually… It's not even scary…" If it was Shirayuki-hime that she saw, then she had seen how much she loved Akechi. No, it wasn't a nightmare at all, "More like shocked, I guess…"

Akechi shook his head, "This place can scare almost about anyone."

There was a knock on the door, and Kenmochi moved to open it, "Ah, Ohkami-san, good morning!"

"Good morning, Kenmochi-san. The other guests had had their breakfast. Do you want to have your breakfast downstairs, or do you want them to be brought up here?"

Kenmochi looked at Akechi who shrugged, and looked back at Mrs. Ohkami, "Will it be okay if we have breakfast here?"

"I'll bring them up," Mrs. Ohkami said, bowed politely, and left.

"Eh? Is it really okay?" asked Ryuji.

"None of us bathed yet, and I'm hungry," Kenmochi said, "Honestly, I'm not used to waking up this late."

Akechi laughed, "I'm not used to sleeping at all! But somehow, in this room, I'm always sleepy!"

"Well, whatever! I'm taking a bath!" Kindaichi took his towel and strode into the bathroom, grabbing another towel from the towel rack.

"Eh? What are two towels for?" asked Miyuki.

"I'm not sure you do it, Miyuki, but I cover the painting when I'm in the bathroom!" Kindaichi blushed, and close the door.

Miyuki reddened, and looked at the other three men.

"Me, too…" Ryuji nodded, blushing all the way.

Kenmochi nodded, his face flushed.

Akechi was too busy chortling into his pillow.

_TBC_

_Author's Note:_

_First attempt in writing Kindaichi! Hopefully this one is acceptable._

_Tyas-sama… tell me what you think, okay? I'll be honored if you do._

_All mistakes are solely mine! All reviews are welcome, all suggestions taken, but no flames, please. It kinda dampen the mood…_

_Thanks for reading!_

_THR_


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